Major League Soccer and its players have reached an agreement in principle on a five-year collective bargaining agreement, the league announced on Thursday.
The limit on spending on the bulk of players would rise to $11.6 million per team over the course of the deal, compared with $8.5 million in the last deal. This amount does not include money spent on three higher-paid star players and certain highly touted younger players.
The minimum salary for active senior players, which has often been criticized as low for professional sports, will rise to $109,200 by 2024. It was $70,250 last season.
Free-agency rules will be loosened significantly: Under current rules, a player has to be 28 and have eight years of experience to qualify. Under the new deal, 24-year-old players with five years of service will qualify.
The league also agreed that each team would fly chartered planes as opposed to commercial flights at least eight times during the regular season, a figure that will grow to 16 flights by 2024. Chartered aircraft will be flown to all playoff and CONCACAF Champions League games.
The deal, which will run through the 2024 season, must still be approved by the league’s board and the union membership.
The M.L.S. season, its 25th, starts on Feb. 29. The league, which has expanded rapidly over the last decade, is adding teams in Nashville and Miami.
Source: Soccer - nytimes.com
